I totally meant to post this earlier. On Sept. 21, 2010 it will be the 15th anniversary of GALILEO.
Hopefully, it okay to crosspost this...
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Happy New Year, GALILEO Users,
Believe it or not, GALILEO will turn 15 on September 21, 2010. Way back in 1995, long before Google, GALILEO helped bring the University System of Georgia libraries, students, faculty, and staff the ability to search indexes and retrieve full-text materials on this new thing called the “World Wide Web” using something called “ASCII text.” For many of these users, GALILEO was their first introduction to the Internet, much less graphical interfaces, as well as the benefits this technology had for learning and research. In fact, GALILEO helped put public computers into the University System libraries and provided fax machines for interlibrary loan articles, at time when some campuses had a single fax machine in the President’s office. Institutions that had only a few journals suddenly had access to hundreds of journals. GALILEO’s delivery over PeachNet helped people understand the benefits of robust networks for transmitting data, providing the impetus and legislative support for bringing both internet access and GALILEO to public libraries and schools. Even in this era of ubiquitous information that has followed its early innovation, GALILEO still provides the core resource for the libraries and media centers of Georgia, fulfilling its mission to be “One Statewide Library” by bringing quality, authoritative, and secure digital materials of all kinds to the citizens of Georgia, including encyclopedias, books, thousands of periodicals, and unique materials of historical and cultural significance. Over one billion user experiences attest to the success of GALILEO.
The spirit of innovation and collaboration that has been part of GALILEO since the beginning continues, as today GALILEO has multiple interfaces that serve different audiences and communities of interest, special tools for federated searching and linking to ejournals across all resources, a toolbar for easy use in common browsers, online training for library staff, and video tutorials for users. The future promises to continue apace, as new discovery tools and tools to assist the integration of library resources into online learning environments enhance the GALILEO environment.
As a teenager, GALILEO will continue to need the support, encouragement, and thoughtful guidance of the GALILEO community; the birthday is a great opportunity to share and express the value that GALILEO provides to the state of Georgia.
• GALILEO Life Contest: Use your creativity to show support for and use of GALILEO by making a video, poster, powerpoint, or a library “fan.” Contribute entries by May 14th. Prizes will be awarded for the 5 age groups in each of the three media (poster, video, and powerpoint) categories and the 3 library types (public, academic, and K12) in the fan category. See details about the contest guidelines and submission instructions here: http://www.usg.edu/galileo/about/birthday/
• GALILEO Scrapbook: Collect your stories, quotes, and pictures and share with GALILEO to post in an online scrapbook of community and sharing. Details will be available soon.
• GOLD/GALILEO User Group Conference: Our annual gathering will include special events and activities to recognize GALILEO’s birthday and contributions to libraries in Georgia and your participation in the contest and scrapbook activities. Details will be available later in 2010.
• Virtual Birthday Celebration, September 21, 2010: A special online event to share and recognize the 15th birthday and the GALILEO community.
The celebration starts today — watch for regular news and information in the coming months, and in the meantime, remember: you are part of GALILEO, so this is your 15th birthday too!
Thank you from all of the GALILEO staff.
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